How PS4 racer DRIVECLUB puts social front and center

DRIVECLUB may have stalled on the starting line a couple of times - it was originally planned to launch alongside the PS4 last year - but Evolution Studios' delayed racer promises to bring something unique to the genre when it drifts in this October.

The game straddles the divide between the arcade and simulation sub-categories, but to lump it into either one does it a disservice.

While this PS4 exclusive strikes a balance between petrolhead-pleasing authenticity and accessibility, what makes DRIVECLUB really stand out is its social elements.

DRIVECLUB is about more than just hitting the road in a supercar capable of reaching speeds close to the sound barrier. It's a game that puts social first and aims to build up a community of racers.

Evolution Studios - creator of the Motorstorm series - harbours lofty ambitions to create a team-based experience that brings people together, encouraging them to work as a unit and stay connected at all times.

To achieve this goal, the studio has built an entire social network to support the game, a transparent system that remains persistent to serve users with relevant activities at the right time.

A dynamic menu with elements of Facebook and Twitter acts as the backbone of this platform, presenting information about challenges the player is involved in, details of their teammates' activity and more.

"Being connected in DRIVECLUB really does matter. It enriches the entire experience and keeps everything lively and fresh, so there's always a new activity to get involved in," game director Paul Rustchynsky told Digital Spy.

"Being in a club matters because in DRIVECLUB it's not always about being first. You can win together. It's the idea that whatever your skillset, whether you are good at drifting or good at driving the slower hot hatch cars, you've always got something to give to your club."

The idea behind DRIVECLUB is that players will be connected at all times, even when they are away from their PS4, and a free companion app for iOS and Android devices will launch alongside the game to make this possible.

This tablet and smartphone software can be used to do everything besides actually take part in a race. So, players can keep track of their challenges, watch live streams of their teammates' races, and view stats and messages.

"You've got to stay connected 24/7 in the game, and one of the things you can do is use the DRIVECLUB app to watch a live feed of your friends playing the game or keep up to date on activities and stats," said Rustchynsky.

"It's the idea that when you are away from your PlayStation, you're always informed of what's going on because we want you to always return to the game, get involved with challenges and play online with your clubmates."

Although DRIVECLUB places social front and center, Evolution has strived to cater for players who aren't particularly well connected, perhaps because they are new to PS4.

Tailored content will be pushed towards players within the activity feed of the dynamic menu, with newcomers receiving challenge recommendations based on their beginner ranking and suggestions about the most appropriate clubs to join.

"We offer a range of options for players who are early adopters or don't have many friends that own a PS4 or DRIVECLUB. We cater for them by exposing the most relevant content to new players and suggesting things to them," design director Simon Barlow told us.

"We also encourage users to join clubs, as they are a very big part of the game. So we try and suggest which clubs to join as well. If you aren't connected, that is a good way to link up with other players.

"The club might contain existing members of a similar skill level or players who join similar types of races. We will suggest those clubs to you and say, 'Hey, why don't you join these guys?' That helps broaden the social network."

Painstaking authenticity meets user-friendly accessibility

Make no mistake, DRIVECLUB is as authentic a racer as you're ever likely to play.

With the help of motoring giants including Ferrari, Audi, BMW and Mercedes, Evolution Studios has recreated the look and feel of some of the industry's most desirable vehicles, down to the finest detail.

Not only do the cars look stunning inside and out rendered in 1080p, no expense has been spared recreating point-to-point road circuits in Scotland, Chile, Canada, Norway and India.

Each track is alive with flora and fauna and features day and night cycles, every aspect of the stage reflecting the dynamic changes brought about by the change in lighting.

This lavish detail is more noticeable on some levels than others. For instance, you can't miss the Northern Lights adding color to some of the Norwegian stages, but the countless varieties of lush foliage on display in the Canadian valleys might go unappreciated.

"There are no shortcuts. There's no 2D crowds or fake lighting. Everything is real, everything is dynamic, every shadow is cast from a light source, and we needed the PS4's horsepower to deliver that visual splendour," Rustchynsky explained.

DRIVECLUB is one for the audiophiles too, as the development team went to painstaking lengths micing up the vehicles featured in the game to ensure they were accurately represented from a sonic standpoint.

However, the approachable control scheme and user-friendly handling is almost at odds with the game's realistic physics and authentic vehicle design. In fact, anyone who has ever played a modern racer will get to grips with it relatively quickly.

"We wanted to do something unique to Evolution Studios and unique to PlayStation. DRIVECLUB for me is the best of both worlds, with that authentic, realistic physics base coupled with the helpers and the more accessible handling options," Barlow said.

"Combine that with challenge-based gameplay and the social network support and it's a very different proposition."

Evolution Studios was seemingly unable to decide whether it wanted to make an arcade racer or an in-depth driving simulation, but steering the project along social pathways is certain to differentiate it from any other racer out there.

DRIVECLUB will be released exclusively on PlayStation 4 from October 8.